Alex dragged his fingers through his dark brown hair. “That’s a question only Stephan can answer.”

What was it about this Stephan? And why could he make decisions about my life? I was eighteen years old after all, which was old enough that I could be living by myself. Yeah, I understood that I was carrying around a precious, world saving star’s energy inside me, but that didn’t mean my life shouldn’t be my own.

“I don’t think—” I started.

Alex talked over me.  “We need to get a hold of them.” He picked his cell phone up from the table and checked the screen. “Otherwise, we’re lost.”

“Well…” Aislin tapped her phone against her chin. “What we could do is leave Gemma here with Laylen while you and I go back.”

Alex scowled at her. “There’s no way in hell I’m leaving her alone with him.”

Laylen laughed, but it was a laugh underlined with hurt. “What? Am I not even considered a person anymore?”

Alex’s pause lasted one second too long. I could feel the tension bubbling, about to erupt.

“That’s not what I was trying to say,” Alex said very unconvincingly. “I’m just worried something might happen while I’m gone, and you wouldn’t be able to protect her.”

Laylen rolled his eyes. “That’s a bunch of crap. I’m just as capable of protecting her as you are, and you know it. You just don’t trust me.” They stared at one another like two angry dogs about to break out in a fight. Then, to make things worse, Laylen added, “I just might be even more capable than you.”

For a second I thought they might kill each other. I had the feeling that there was more to their fight then what was being said. Like maybe something had happened in the past. I mean, there had to be more to their little argument than who was more qualified to protect me. If they did end up fighting each other, considering Laylen was a vampire, I’d say the odds were in his favor. And as much as Alex had pissed me off, I really didn’t want to watch him get hurt. Plus, it would have been a great tragedy for that gorgeous face of his to get messed up.

I looked at Aislin, hoping she’d do something to stop it. But she was chewing on a strand of her hair, staring down at the table. So I guess I was on my own.

“So do I not get a say in any of this?” I said in a voice loud enough to break the tension.

Laylen and Alex tore their eyes away from one another, and I had to hover back from the burning anger in their faces that was all of a sudden being directed at me. Losing some of my confidence, my voice quieted a little. “It’s my life so I think I should have some say in this, right?”

”No,” Alex said. “You don’t get a say in any of this.”

My anger boiled.  So this was how it was going to be from now on? I wouldn’t get a say in anything? After what my life had been—or hadn’t been I guess I should say—I thought I should be allowed to have some say. I deserved at least that much. I clenched my hands into fists, almost regretting that I’d interrupted the fight between Laylen and him.

Shrugging off my death stare, Alex turned to Aislin. “Can you get us to Afton and back quickly?”

She raised her chin with confidence. “Of course I can.”

“Then fine. We’ll leave her here with Laylen.” He aimed his finger at Laylen, “But if anything happens to her, it’s on you.”

Laylen rolled his eyes. “Nothing’s going to happen to her.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” Alex said.

Another eye roll from Laylen. “Thanks for the confidence.”

“I have to go back into the library and grab my candle and crystal,” Aislin announced. “Then we can go.”

I cocked my head to the side. “Crystal? What crystal?”

“The one I used on the bus to transport us here,” she explained. “It's how I’m going to get us back to Afton.”

“Oh.” Okay, now I remembered.  All too painfully remembered. The purple amethyst, the burning candle, the glowing yellow eyes. I shivered.

She started to get to her feet, but then dropped back down in the chair, smacking her hand on her forehead. “Crap. Crap Crap. I completely forgot that the Death Walkers’ ice ruined it. We were lucky just to make it here.”

“There’s no way you can do it without a crystal?” Alex asked.

“No.” She wrapped a strand of her hair around her finger, thinking. “Well, there are other ways, but I haven’t learned how to do them yet.”

The room grew silent, except for the cracking sound Alex’ knuckles made as he popped them.

Laylen twisted his lip ring from side to side. “What kind of crystal is it?”

“The one the looks like an amethyst.” She propped up her elbow on the table and let her chin fall into her hand. “Now what are we going to do?”

“Is it a Vectum Crystal?” Laylen asked.

Aislin raised her chin out of her hand, a hopeful expression on her face. “Do you have one?”

“No, but I know where we can get one.” He gestured over his shoulder at the window. “There’s this place in Vegas that sells things like that. I bet they’d have one.”

Alex shook his head. “No. No way. There is no way we’re taking Gemma into Vegas. It’s way too dangerous.”

“So I can’t go to Vegas. And I can’t go home,” I said, counting down on my fingers. “Is there anywhere I can go?”

“Not really.”

I glared at him, but he didn’t even so much as blink. He placed his hands on the table, leaned toward me, and spoke in a low voice that made my body hum. “Do you have to argue about everything?”

I ignored the flutter my heart did. Stupid, betraying heart. “Maybe.”

“Alex, can we please just go get the crystal and get this taken care of,” Aislin begged. “Sitting here and arguing about it isn’t going to get us anywhere.”

He shook his head, his green eyes fixed solely on me. “I said it’s too dangerous for Gemma to go.”

I took an exasperated breath. “Please stop say—”

He placed his hand across my mouth. My lips sparkled underneath his warm, electric skin. God, it felt good. Way too good. Mind numbingly good. I was supposed to be mad at him…wasn’t I?

“It’s too dangerous.” His voice flowed out like velvet.

For a brief second, I had this really strange thought. What if things were different? What if he wasn’t a Keeper and I was carrying a world saving star inside me? What if we’d met under normal circumstances? What if I was allowed to have those kinds of feelings for him? The ones that I was feeling right now, but knew I wasn’t supposed to be feeling. Would things have been different between us? Maybe. Or maybe I’d have been just a silly girl with a crush and ended up with a broken heart. Alex really did seem like the heartbreaking type.

Blinking myself back to reality, I shoved his hand away from my mouth. He looked momentarily stunned, blinking a few times, like he was just waking up from a dream.

“Alex, going into Vegas isn’t any more dangerous than sitting around here,” Laylen pointed out.  “In fact, we’ll be on the move so it might even be safer.”

Alex backed away from the table and turned to Laylen. “Are you sure about that?”

Laylen shook his head and sighed. “Look, this place is very low key. We’ll go straight there and straight back. Trust me, there won’t be any problems.”

Alex deliberated this. “You promise you won’t try to make any other stops. Just straight there and straight back?”

Laylen stared at him incredulously. “Are you kidding me? Where else is it that you think I’m going to try and take us? McDonalds? Walmart? Oh, wait a minute, I do need to make a quick stop by the cemetery.”

Trying to choke back a laugh, I ended up letting out a snort.  I had to give the guy props. He was pretty funny.

Alex shot me a dirty look. “What? You think this is funny?”

I choked back another laugh, luckily without snorting this time, and shook my head.

Laylen did laugh, though. And Aislin sighed, dropping her head down on the table in an I-am-so-over-this way.